Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-09-18
OUR WINTER FRIENDS.
Some OF the Characters to be Seen OIL
the Streets Every Fali-Agglo.
merated Aims Seekers.
The Ladies' Benevolent Institution and Its
Aims-spscimens of People Who Gall
on tho Projectors for Relief.

Fort Worth has been pretty well supplied
with aims seekers of one sort and
another. They come from all directions,
these unforlunates, the malt and blind, the
| lame and sickly come. People OF both
sexes and all ages come suffering from
all manner of Elections and our people
are continually called upon to contribute
to their support. The familiar faces of
| the old timers who usually reach here
with the Hfrst bale" can be seen on the
streets. The armless sailor who fell
| fighting before the mast on board s War
ship, sings his songs; the blind WOmsn
with the organ and the borrowed babies
sits on the corner, tin cupin hand to catch
passing nickels; the widow who lost her
husband in the ChatsWorth railroad acct
dent and whom old residents have seen
pose successfully as Chicago fire euf-
ferer, Memphis and New Orleans yell
low fever refugee, Confederate officers
widow, a clergyman's widow in straight
ened circumstances and drouth sufferer
is here with plaintiff voice and physi
que In an excellent state OF preservation;
the blind man with the Organette, whose
putative daughter in hob-nail shoes
daUces uoa on the side
walk and beats biiOu tambOurine with
L wicked-looking set Of s0iled knuckles,
IS egsin with Us and street singer is here.
| There is something tolera0le in these pro-
! misunderstanding III their methods
of q business character which is g barrier
against forced intimacy. The very bold
ness CT their ways and the independence
of their proceedings enables one to give
or refuse without thought, or witch
ing OF conscience afterwards. They make
bold assault, if repulsed that is an end
to it. II they cannot take the citadel OF
| your baneVolence by storm they will never
undermine it. They are pestiferous
nuisanCes, but their victims are the great
public and no individual has E right to
complain, because they care for no indi
vidual. There is another class and among
them many most worthy objects Of
charity, and many more who are cunning,
craven creatures, who are utterly lost to
al sense Of shame, and from whose
hearts all human pride hiss departed.
They are the quiet s0rt who glide quietly
around from place to place, making per
sonal appeals aud individual applications
| for relief. They CannO. be distinguished
apart, and very often the most successful
! beggars are the least worthy. They worry
| business men to death and make the lives
OF hOusekeepers miserable. Some OF them
are deserving, all of them cannot be;
many Of them are frauds. In order to
systematic the work Of caring for the
needy, freeing business men from dis
tracing annoyances and shielding private
residences from unpleasant intrusioIs ct
unreasonable hours, rumDer OF
gentlemen OF the city have volunteered to
contribute certain sums monthly to g
fund TO be used for benevolent purposes,
and for the support OF such mendicants
as are worthy. Several ladies, who have
"Iearned the luxury of doing good"
have generously volunteered their ser
vices, and have opened a number Of
rooms on Main street, where relief Csn
be obtained. They are fitted up comfort
ably snd supplied with literature for
those who thirst after information, and
with something nutritiVe for those who
hunger for more substantial condiments.
Checks are furnished ell contributors,
and when the Weyfaring poor appeal for
aid they are given one and directed to
present it at headquarters, where their
wants are supplied il, sitter investigation,
they are found to be deserv-
leg. The arrangement works
admirably. a very uninYiting
woodpile frowns gloomily in the back
yard, and the able-bodied are directed to
exercise their muscles on it awhile when
they apply for help. No money is fur
ni5hed. II transportation is demanded,
J tickets are purchased and the beneficiary
is accompanied to the train and seat
/ away. II work is sought, these go0c
ladies' endeavor to secure 1t, and for the
: homeless, homes are found. Lunches
5 comfortable meals and nutritious soups
hot coffee and the like are furnished g.
cost or whereabouts to those whose means
ere limited, and night school Is kept fol
the benefit Of the youthful heroes
of the sidewalk. In addition tc
this, sleeping apartments are soor
: to be furnished to the knights O
8 the brush and blacking-bcx aad ,
general guardianship will be exercised
over all those who are in want and who
= manifest desire to help themselves. TX
? aid IN maintaining the establishment anC
: for the accommodation of ladies', a n a
parlor and dining hall is conducted wnert
= ice cream is sold and where bonnt
j bouche can be purchased at small cost
t 1t is q charitable institution and should
e receive the support Of our citizens
e Though but recently started, the plac
j is well pstronized. GAZETTE reporte
= spent short time the other day il
: watching the people who applied for re
= lief, and while no deserving person
turned away, it cannot be recommends
as haven Of rest and treasure house 0
plenty for the desd-best and hummer
J. Experience enables the ladies in chsrg
~ to distinguish critically and unerriDgl
- between the real and the counterfeit sui
10 ferer, and the latter finds little comfort
9 and is disposed of with small difficulty
u "De you have many applications OF tia
e chsracter?" asked the reporter OF one c
IS the ladies', pointing to q very disgruntle
u specimen OF the genus dead beat who Ia
y been sent off empty handed. He was
le tough one, with an odor and general al
D, Of Dallas society shout him. a stou
u hearty man he was, who demanded the liz
{, ing the world oWee him peremptorily be
u csuse, forgetting to remove his foot fro,
Il railroad track when car was comm!
IL one OF his pedal eXtremities hs
"a undergone slight a5breviation. Il
lad demanded dinner and sem
money with the cir OF
man who WAS entitled to exercise Pre-
prietsry rights in 8 national bank, an
= when cited to the wood pile, asked, in 8
at constituent, if the ladies' imagined
g came there to be prosecuted. "Do &c
IL receive calls from many such visitors
that?"
r. "Indeed we do" was the reply, "ar
he is not the worst of them. We he
two ypOmnn in hera the other d.v WI